Safety device for railroad crossings and the like



April 27,1926.

. H MONOSKI' SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILROAD CRQSSINGS AND THE LIKE Filed August 13, 1925 2 sneaks-smut 1- FIG.

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H. MONOSKI SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILROAD CROSSINQS AND THE LIKE Filed August 13, 1925 2 sheds-sheet 2 FIG. 7. l J F i '3 dz 5 II '12:

1L Mon/061d 4 I w w fi r Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

HENRY MONOSKI, G15 BALTEMGRE, IMARYLAND.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILRDAD CBOSSILTGS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed August 13, 1925. Serial No. 50,046.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Monosnr, a citizen of Poland, residing at Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore City and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Railroad Crossings and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in safety devices for railroad crossings, and the like.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a form of mechanism which may be employed at railway crossings, street intersections, and any other similar places, and functions to compel a driver to substantially stop his vehicle for the purpose of observing the presence of danger in any form at the crossing, intersection, etc.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of gate arm and vehicle operating mechanism for accomplishing the above set forth purpose.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description. 7

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same, v

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus embodying this invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken upon. line IIII of Figure 1,

' Figure 3 is a transverse, vertical sectional view taken upon lineITIIlI of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken upon line IVIV of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken upon line V-V of Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken upon line VL-VT of Figure 1, and

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view showing two of the devices embodying this invention in operation at the intersection of a highway or road and railway track.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of. illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of this invention, the numeral 5 desig nates a platform which is shown in Figure 2 as being supported by the stands or legs 6 to arrange its top surface on the same plane as the road bed 7. The space under the platform 5 is empty, as at 8 for the purpose Cit of accommodating the various movable portions of the apparatus.

Figures 2, 3, and t show the end 5 of the platform as being formed with a pocket 9 which is longitudinally slotted at its side as designated by the numeral 10 and at its forward end as designated by the numeral 11. Pivoted upon the transverse bolt 12 is a treadle 13 which is roughened or corrugated upon its top face, as designated by the reference numeral 1% in Figures 1 and 2. This treadle 13 is provided with the side wings or skirts 15 and the front skirt 16 which are received in the side and front slots 10 and 11 respectively. Interposed between the bottom wall 9 of the pocket 9 and the inner face of the treadle 13 is a spiral spring 11" which functions to normally sustain the treadle in the elevated position illustrated in Figures 2, 3, 5 and 6.

The forward corners of the side and front skirts 15 and 16 are provided with depending apertured ears 18 to which are connected the ends 19 of the substantially V-shaped fork 20 which has a longitudinally extending pin 21 projectin from its apex 22 This apex portion 22 of the fork 20 is slidably received within the slot or space 23 formed by the sides 2% of a U-shaped sup porting member designated in its entirety by the reference character 25. Interposed between the apex 22 and the bottom portion of the U-shaped member 25 is a spring 26 which normally functions to sustain the end 22 of the fork 20 elevated as illustrated in Figures 2 and 5.

The pin 21 projecting forwardly from the end 22 of the fork 20 has pivotally and relatively slidably connected thereto, by the slot 27, one end of a lever 28 which is piv oted at 29, (see Figs. 1 and 5), to a boss carried by one end of the U-shaped supporting member 25. The free end of the lever 28 has connected thereto the parallel links 30 that are connected at their upper ends to the inner end 31 of agate arm 32 which is pivoted at 33 in a hollow column or post 34: This shorter, inner end 31 of the arm 32 is provided with a weight 35 which is intended to function to norm ally retain the outer end of the gate arm 32 elevated as shown in full lines in Figures 2 and 5.

Figures 1 and 7 show the platform 5 as having certain indications printed or dis played thereon and intended to instruct the drivers approaching the safety apparatus embodying this invention to reduce their speed or Go slow. It is to be understood that any other suitable indicia may be displayed upon this platform in any desired manner and also that instructions may be printed or displayed upon the gate arm 32.

Figure 7 shows a railway crossing A with the safety devices B properly associated therewith. These platforms 5 are shown as having side banks 36 extending longitudinally of the inner edges of the same and are intended to guide drivers upon the platform.

The operation of one of these devices may be described in detail as follows: A driver approaching the crossing A or a street intersection, a highway from a crossing road, or any other similar arrangement of thorough fares, will drive upon the platform 5 and when his wheels engage the corrugated surface 14: of the treadle 13, he will be warned by this rough surface to slaclzen his speed. The riding upon the treadle 13 will cause the fork to be lowered against the tension of the spring 26. The lowering of this fork will pivot the lever 28 which will move the links 30 upwardly for swinging the gate arm 32 into its dotted line position, (see Figs. 5 and 7). This gate arm 32 will block the forward travel of a vehicle until the latter is positioned with its wheels entirely off of the treadle 13 when the gate arm will automatically move into its road or highway clearing position and the vehicle may then pass beneath the arm. The treadle 13 is intended to be positioned a suitable distance from the arm 32 so that a vehicle may entirely clear the treadle before striking or engaging the lowered gate arm 32. If this distance is proper, i. e. slightly greater than the length of the largest type of road vehicle, it will be necessary for the driver to move forwardly at a very slow speed to permit the gate arm 32 to move upwardly during the interval the vehicle is traveling from the treadle to the said arm. I

It is to he understood that the form of this invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention nor the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. In a safety device of the type described, a platform intended to be embedded in a roadway at a crossing, a treadle pivoted on the platform, a post positioned forwardly of the treadle, a gate arm pivoted to the post, means connecting the treadle with the gate arm for causing the latter to be moved to block the roadway when a vehicle approaching the crossing is traveling over the treadle, said means including a forwardly extending member connected to the treadle, a lever connected to the forwardly extending member, a link connecting the free end of the lever to the gate arm, and means for nor mally holding said forwardly extending member elevated against the bottom face of the platform.

2. In a safety device of the type described, a platform embedded in a roadway, said platform having a pocket formed therein, a treadle pivoted in the pocket, means for normally holding the treadle elevated above the top plane of the platform, said treadle having its top surface corrugated to cause a vehicle traveling thereover to be jolted for indicating the presence of the treadle to the driver of the vehicle, a post positioned forwardly of the treadle, a gate arm pivoted to the post, and means connecting the treadle and the gate arm for causing the latter to be moved into a position to obstruct the forward end of the platform when a vehicle is traveling over the treadle.

In testimony whereof I afi'ix my signature.

HENRY MON OSKI. 

